I guess I've surrendered

Tuesday, February 05, 2013

My office has started offering on-site Weight Watchers. Not only that, but they pay the fees up-front. And at least, going in I know the people who'll be at the meeting. My boss even offered to help me fill out the application form!

I've tried WW so many times. They probably snicker every time they see my name again. I feel like I SHOULD be able to do this on my own. People tell me, so just eat less. Yeah, like it's that easy.

I'm doing it, and I'll fight to make it succeed. But somehow it still feels like a failure that I couldn't do it on my own.

CAROLJEAN64
Lady, why do you think so many people use WW? It's because it is very difficult to learn to eat healthy on our own. Spark proves how much community support can mean. I challenge you to take the word "should" out of your vocabulary for the next month. Every time you use it, fine yourself a dime and donate the final amount to a charity.1396 days ago

WINDSWEPTACRES
Maybe this will make for a more weight-loss-friendly environment in the office. Yes, we feel we should do it on our own, but that's just because for many of us, we've had to do everything on our own. 1401 days ago

MONETRUBY
There is NO reason to feel like a failure for not doing this on your own. Any journey like this is most successful when you have help and support, whether it be here on SP or with WW. You are just using a tool that is available to you, that will help you achieve your goals. There is nothing to be ashamed about, or to feel guilty for. I'm very proud of you!1401 days ago

WESTIEGAL1
Yay for you!!! I would do it if my employer paid for it! I even did it in the past when they haven't. Weight watchers is great for the support they give. You pick up so many good ideas. Many heads are always better than one in any situation. You're certainly not a failure. Go to the meetings, learn from them, apply what they tell you, make friends and have FUN with it! You're so creative with food, I"m sure you'll soon be telling them how to make certain recipes healthier. Challenge yourself to bring one healthier recipe to the group each week. That will give you something to work on that you enjoy and something to look forward to. I'm so happy for you! 1401 days ago

LIS193
It is great that you can do this through your office! Getting help and support may make all the difference! Accept what they have to offer and you may be amazed :) Keep an open mind!1402 days ago

CARRAND
There is no failure in using every available resource to help you be successful. WW is like SP, only in person, right? You reach out to your friends on SP (and we love you) so now you will have friends in person to share your stories with. I say go for it!1402 days ago

IAMFRANSGIRL
It's not a surrender at all. Everyone needs help to succeed. In fact the more help and support you have the more successful you'll be. You'll be taking a very brave step into a new life. Congratulations.1402 days ago

SKIRNIR
None of us are "doing" it on our own. Spark is not on our own. And to be honest, we all need as much support as we can get. If someone had offered me free weight watchers, as long as it didn't include their specific food, I would jump at it. Good luck to you and hope it helps. We all need as much support as we can get.1402 days ago

GLORYB83
It is GREAT that your office has offered the program and free! Wow, I'd grab it!We aren't failures because we use the help offered us, we are STRONG because we accept the help!SparkPeople is a program that offers all the info that we need but if you can get that right at work and with people you know . . . GO FOR IT! Do that, along with using SP, you can't miss!I know you can do it!1402 days ago

So the question I would ask is "What specifically causes you to fail?"

You certainly don't need to respond to me here - this is a question to ask yourself and figure out.

For me, I never figured out that my BRAIN had to change. I spent 25 years doing it wrong - losing lots of weight and regaining it all back 8 times. I was always following someone's plan - some book diet or a ridiculous plan of my own making. It wasn't until I figured out that I needed to ACTIVELY CONTROL what I ate each day and DECIDE to take control of my life rather than letting my bad habits, deeply ingrained from years of doing the wrong things repeatedly, run the show.

Triggers are things that have to be kept in check and new "rules" need to be put in place to counteract and override what would otherwise happen. I create rules all the time to address my triggers. This works. Might sound weird, but it does work quite well.

Yes, weight loss is hard but honestly, now after 13 weeks of tracking daily and hitting my net calorie target, I'm quite comfortable with my "plan" or "program" or whatever you want to call it.

I wish you well with your program and look forward to hearing about your progress.

SKY214
I use to feel the same way. What I realized is that I'm not a super hero and that it's ok to lean on others some times. The one thing that I use to love about WW was that the support was fabulous and genuine. It made me think of things differently. I remember one day after a weigh in I was upset because I had only lost an ounce. I mean who loses only an ounce in a week? One of the other members came over and asked me how I did. I was embarrassed to tell her about the ounce, but I did. To my surprise she was excited for me. She said that's one ounce that I didn't have to worry about any more. I was moving in the right direction. Also to my shock she started telling other members how "well" I had done. By the time I left the meeting I was on cloud 9. If I had been at home, on my own I would have been upset for the whole week. It's all in the way you look at things. Embrace the support and become the you that you want to be. 1402 days ago

CHEFSOPHIE
Trust me, I have never been able to do it on my own. There are four times I have been successful. Two times with weight watchers, but not online, and two times on clinical trials that required face to face meetings. Doing it on your own is not easy. If it works, then you are not a failure. 1402 days ago